"I guess this was Plan B that turned into Plan A and we signed it," Boedker said Saturday evening, not long after his plane landed in the Valley. "I'm really happy with it, and I think in the long run I'll be really happy with it and I'll benefit from taking a little bit of a risk."

Boedker, 23, could have chose arbitration to settle negotiations early in the summer, but he bypassed that option because an arbitrator would have handed him the one or two-year deal he initially wanted to avoid.

"The term doesn't infer anything in terms of our like of this player," said Coyotes assistant general Manager Brad Treliving, who handled the negotiation. "We really care and think Boeds is a big part of our team."

Once this deal expires, Boedker will have to wait one more season before he's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. The Coyotes hope during this two-year span Boedker's play is more indicative of his first-half performance last season rather than the second half. Boedker scored six goals and had 18 points in the first 26 games and only one goal and eight points in the final 22.